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Chapter no.6 Between Silence and Truth
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Hiruzen sat at his desk, staring at the report before him, but his mind was far from the words on the page.
Today had been... chaotic, to say the least.
His pipe rested between his lips, and he took a long puff, letting the smoke fill his lungs. He needed this.
Naruto Uzumaki, his grandson in everything but blood had stolen the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
Naruto had knocked him out with that ridiculous jutsu of an illusion of a naked woman. I've seen many things in my years as Hokage, but that... that was a new low. A small part of Hiruzen was thankful that no one knew about it. The last thing he needed was for the village to hear that the great "Professor" Sarutobi had been bested by such a... technique.
God, the embarrassment would never end.
Another puff of smoke escaped his lips as he leaned back in his chair. Naruto had been tricked by Mizuki. Well, that explained how Naruto had managed to bypass the security and get his hands on the scroll. Naruto may be talented in his own way, but even Hiruzen knew the boy wasn't capable of pulling off such a feat alone. But how did a low-level chunin, who spent his days as an assistant teacher, know enough about the security patterns of my library to pull this off?
It didn't sit right with him.
If he hadn't gone to check on his secret stash of Icha Icha novels, a guilty pleasure he'll take to the grave, he might not have even known Naruto was in the building.
But his headache wasn't just from the breach or the embarrassing knock-out. It was the fact that Mizuki had revealed the truth about the Kyuubi no Kitsune to Naruto.
Hiruzen had planned to tell Naruto himself when he was ready. When he was old enough, mature enough to understand the weight of the truth. But now? That plan was ruined, shattered by Mizuki's selfishness.
He took another drag from his pipe, letting the smoke swirl around him.
I should've told him sooner. I should've prepared him. But no, Hiruzen wanted to shield him, to protect him from the harsh truth for as long as he could. And now, it's all come crashing down around him.
Normally, this chaotic night would have ended with a heartfelt conversation. He could've helped Naruto make sense of it all. But that was not to be.
No. Instead, Hiruzen had to deal with the fact that Naruto... killed Mizuki.
The pipe nearly slipped from his fingers as the thought hit him again. Naruto had killed. Hiruzen had seen children even younger take lives before; war left no age untouched. But Naruto was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and his emotions were tied to that monster's chakra. If grief and guilt broke through his control, the Kyuubi's power could spill out, and that would be far more dangerous than the killing itself.
How do I even begin to talk to him now?
Oh, God, please give me strength, Hiruzen thought as he rubbed his goatee.
A genin's first kill was supposed to happen under the careful watch of a team. You were meant to have the support of your teammates and the guidance of a jounin teacher. It was a delicate moment, one that needed to be handled with wisdom. And, if necessary, the teacher could evaluate if the student had the right mentality to continue as a shinobib or if they were teetering on a dangerous path.
The knock at the door pulled Hiruzen out of his thoughts, and he immediately sensed Naruto's presence on the other side. His chakra felt… different this time. There was something darker, something unfamiliar swirling within it.
I need to get Inoichi to do a psych evaluation immediately. The boy needs help. God knows he needs all the help he can get right now.
He took off his Hokage hat, placing it on the oak desk in front of him.
Hiruzen sighed, his fingers lingering on the worn wood. The desk was littered with papers, more than he cared for even with secretaries and a functioning administration. Yet despite all the duties and the tasks that came with the title, Hiruzen was not wearing the hat of the Hokage today.
No. Naruto didn't need the presence of the Third Hokage right now. He needed Hiruzen. The grandfather. The old man who could sit and talk to him.
Hiruzen looked at the door, steeling himself for the conversation ahead.
The moment Naruto walked in, Hiruzen's heart sank. His expression was not the usual fiery and emotional mask Hiruzen had grown accustomed to. It was as if Naruto's mind was somewhere else entirely, something only he could see in the empty air before him. The sight made Hiruzen uneasy, a cold knot tightening in his chest. This was Naruto, the boy who wore his emotions on his sleeve and had never been able to hide how he felt. Hiruzen had expected anger or confusion, anything but this hollow and distant look.
Everyone processes trauma differently, Hiruzen reminded himself.
"Naruto, greet the Hokage," Iruka said, his voice tight. Naruto gave no reply. His gaze stayed fixed ahead, as if the empty air between them mattered more than the man standing in front of him.
Hiruzen noticed the slight tremor in Iruka's hands. The academy teacher was on edge, and the old man could only guess at what had passed between them tonight.
"Iruka."
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"It has been a hard night for..." Hiruzen's eyes settled on Naruto. Iruka understood at once. No one had been more affected tonight.
"...for everyone," Hiruzen finished softly.
"Your command, Hokage-sama?"
"Dismissed."
Iruka obeyed without hesitation, though Hiruzen could feel the weight of his reluctance as he left Naruto alone with him.
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Once the door closed, it was just Naruto and Hiruzen in the office and the Anbu that remained hidden in the shadows.
"Naruto," Hiruzen said gently, trying to break through the fog clouding Naruto's mind. "Why don't you sit down?"
For a moment, there was nothing. And then, like a sudden jolt, Naruto snapped to attention, his eyes darting around the room, confused, almost startled. It was as if he had only just realized he was standing in the Hokage's office. His mind was somewhere else. Detached. Was it shock? Disassociation?
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine," Naruto muttered, but it was clear he wasn't. "Can I leave now?"
He wasn't even trying to sit down. Why won't he sit down?
"Naruto, you aren't in trouble," Hiruzen said, trying to reassure him, trying to let him know that he was safe here.
"Great, then can I leave?" Naruto's voice was quick, almost desperate, as he took a step back toward the door.
"Naruto, why are you in such a hurry to go?"
"I just..." Naruto paused, his face shifting with uncertainty, as if he didn't even know how to explain what he was feeling. He was struggling, and it hurt Hiruzen to see it.
"I'm busy with... some super important stuff," Naruto finally said. The tone cut deeper than Hiruzen expected, tightening his chest. It was the voice of a boy looking for an escape, not from chores or lectures, but from the truth itself. He was avoiding more than a conversation; he was avoiding whatever was clawing at him inside. What unsettled Hiruzen most was the absence of anger. There were no accusations about the secrets kept from him, no questions about the Kyuubi or Mizuki's revelations. Naruto wasn't searching for answers at all. He was retreating into silence.
The boy who normally fought for every scrap of attention was now desperately trying to slip away unnoticed.
Is he afraid of feeling? Is he afraid of what's inside him right now?
"Naruto..." Hiruzen began, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to pull Naruto back from wherever his mind had gone.
"I want to talk about the Kyuubi no Kitsune," Hiruzen said. This was a way to gauge how deep Naruto's fear and trauma ran. If Naruto still tried to run, then Hiruzen would personally drag Inoichi and a team of medical ninjas to him if he had to.
But, to Hiruzen's surprise, Naruto paused. He hesitated for only a moment, then sat down.
Hiruzen blinked, confused. Wasn't he just trying to run away from this?
Naruto's words echoed in his mind. I'm busy with… some super important stuff. What could possibly be more important than seeking answers after what he had been through? What could be more important than facing his fear? Hiruzen didn't like not having even a speculation.
"You saw tonight one of the darker aspects of shinobi life," Hiruzen began, his tone as careful as he could make it. "Traitors come and go, and they all must be dealt with eventually. Despite your horrendous mistake, you've done a great service to the village by putting a stop to him." He waited for something, anything but Naruto didn't flinch, didn't respond except for a small gulp.
"Oh, yeah, I killed Mizuki."